Chapter 4

The MCU building was in pieces. It was barely two days since the Joker had been locked up there, and two days since he had escaped. In the process, he had set off an explosion which had destroyed half of the building, killing nearly a dozen people – cops and criminals. Construction crews had moved in pretty quickly, and they had salvaged at least a little of what had been stored there.

The sections which hadn't been damaged were still in use – the city's budget apparently didn't stretch to providing an alternate location. Gordon's office had been, and he had moved himself into one of the administrative offices at the back of the building.

He had headed straight there after the Mayor's office. Where else did he have to go? His home was now empty, and unwelcoming. He had no friends that weren't cops – none that he could drop in on, at least. So he came here, to a building full of people that he was lying to.

The office door was locked. It was a tiny room, but he had managed to move a desk in there that he could at least work on. He was hunched over a small piece of paper, frowning in concentration. On the paper was a short list of names. His name was at the very top, followed by the names of his wife and children. Then the names of three cops – Anderson, Lee and Stephens – were listed with question marks after their names.

It was a list of the people who he suspected knew the truth about the Batman. Of course, he wasn't sure about Anderson, Lee and Stephens, but he wasn't going to take any chances with them. He would have to speak to each of them, but he had no idea what to say. He had been on the brink of spilling his guts to Stephens that morning, but he knew it would be a mistake to talk to anyone about it, even if they already knew. You could never tell who was listening in.

Gordon let out a long sigh, and leant back in his chair. Something had been nagging at him for a while – something that he hadn't wanted to think about.

Three days before, Assistant DA Rachel Dawes had been murdered, and Harvey Dent had suffered horrific scarring to his face. They were kidnapped, knocked unconscious, taken to separate locations and tied up in a room full of explosives. This happened during the short period of time that the Joker was incarcerated in the MCU building.

They tried to save them both – Batman and Gordon's team. But they were too slow. Only Harvey came out of it alive, and he was… changed.

But… how had they been taken in the first place? There couldn't have been a struggle, could there? Surely someone would have seen – Harvey was under almost constant police watch, and Miss Dawes had holed up in Bruce Wayne's penthouse. They were meant to be safe.

Gordon knew where this train of thought would lead. They were taken by someone they knew. Someone they trusted. Someone who made them feel safe.

They were taken by a cop.

Gordon picked leant over his desk and picked up his pen. There was one more name to add to his list.

Anna Ramirez.


"Anna? Are you shittin' me?"

Gordon was troubled by where his thoughts had led him, and so he had gone to the one man that he still felt he could trust with them – Stephens. Anna had always been one of their best. Gordon had hand-picked her for the MCU, and the idea that she could betray him – that she could throw his trust right back in his face – made him sick to his stomach.

Stephens, for his part, had taken it upon himself to guide Ramirez through the complexities of working in the Major Crimes Unit. Of course, she'd worked in homicide – worked her way up from a street cop in near record time. But the MCU had its own politics and its own problems that needed to be worked around, and Stephens had been Ramirez's guide through them.

"Listen", Gordon said. "I know it's difficult to accept, but she's the only one that makes sense. Her and Wuertz. Christ, we've got it on camera! She lead Dent to the car, and then he was gone. And Rachel Dawes would have trusted her because she was one of us. Doesn't it make sense?"

Stephens looked down at his feet. Gordon knew how he was feeling – the same way he was. But they were cops. They had spent their lives believing that the facts led to the truth, even when they were leading somewhere horrible.

"Why is she still alive?" Stephens mumbled.

"What?" Gordon asked.

"Why is she still alive?" Stephens repeated, louder this time. "If she was the one responsible for Rachel Dawes' death, why is she still alive when Wuertz is dead?"

The door opened behind them suddenly, and a nervous looking Sergeant walked into the room. "I'm sorry, Commissioner", she squeaked. "But you've got a visitor".

Gordon looked at the Sergeant for a few moments, annoyed at the interruption. Then he let out a long sigh and turned back to Stephens. "I need to talk to Anna for myself", he said. "Find her and bring her here".

Stephens looked far from happy – this was, after all, the second conversation with Gordon that had been cut short. But he nodded and, without another word, left to seek out Anna Ramirez.

Gordon watched him leave, and then he turned to the young sergeant who had interrupted them. "What sort of visitor?" he asked her angrily.

"Um…" the sergeant replied. She looked down at her feet, and Gordon felt a pang of guilt.

Gordon rubbed his head with the tips of his fingers and closed his eyes. All this crap was making him… tetchy. If he wasn't careful, he knew, he'd end up losing his temper every time someone spoke to him. "What's your name, sergeant?" he asked.

"It's Lewis, sir", she replied quickly. "…Sarah", she added a little hesitantly.

Gordon smiled. "Well, Sarah" he said softly. "Would you take me to this visitor?"

Lewis smiled and led the Commissioner away.


The Commissioner was led through a maze of corridors, past chaotic offices and people at work, towards the back of the MCU building. Neither Gordon or Lewis spoke a single word while they walked. For his part, Gordon was too engrossed in his thoughts about Ramirez, and his struggle to decide whether he really believed that she would turn against him. Lewis was just too nervous.

She stopped next to a line of security tape, which had been erected to block entry to the side of the building which had been destroyed by the Joker's bomb. Gordon was a little surprised to see that the tape had been cut.

Lewis turned to face him. "She's inside", she said. "I'm sorry, Commissioner, but I couldn't stop her from going in".

Gordon frowned. "Couldn't stop who?" he asked. "Who is this visitor?"

"She's…" Lewis said. "She's a Fed".

Gordon's eyes widened as realisation dawned. Damn, he thought to himself. I'm not ready for this yet. He smiled at Lewis and dismissed her. When he was alone he took a few moments to prepare himself, and then he walked through the security tape. He had to duck to get through the collapsed door, and nearly lost his footing more than once as he slowly made his way through the rubble that had once been the Major Crimes Unit.

He found her standing alone in what used to be the building's cells. This had been the centre of the explosion, and there was almost nothing left – the ceiling had partially collapsed, leaving a massive pile of destruction on the ground. It was beside this that their guest was stood.

"Such… destruction", she said softly without turning. Her voice was deep, and she had an accent that Gordon couldn't quite place. "How could one man cause so much damage to this place? This building was meant to be secure, wasn't it?"

Gordon gritted his teeth. "The Joker wasn't one man", he growled. "He was a force of nature. It was impossible to predict what he was going to do next".

Finally the woman turned to face him. Her skin was dark, and her eyes were brown. She was very attractive, though she looked as though she could handle herself in a fight.

"Forgive me", she said with a smile. "I wasn't criticising anyone. It's just hard to get my head around". She was toward Gordon and reached into her suit jacket. When her hand came back out it was holding her badge. "Agent Rudra, FBI. Pleased to meet you, Commissioner".

She held out her other hand and, after a moment's hesitation, Gordon took it in his. "Likewise", he mumbled.

Rudra's smile widened. "Commissioner", she continued. "I get the feeling that you don't want me here. But believe me when I say that I have no intention of getting in your way. I'm not here to take over your investigation. I'm just here to advise, and to offer assistance if I can. And trust me… it's not every day that the FBI offers its resources to city cops".

Gordon didn't know what it was about her, but something made him take an instant dislike to her. He couldn't quite put his finger on it – she seemed genuine, if a little over-eager. And he had to admit, the thought of being able to call on the FBI database when he wanted appealed to him.

But it was still dangerous to have her around. His world was now nothing but lies and deceit. He hoped that she would be too focussed on the Batman to pay him any attention.

"So…" he said. "Why are you offering me all this help? What is the Batman to you?"

"The Batman", she replied quickly. "Is an international terrorist. I'm sure you haven't forgotten what happened in Hong Kong, and what subsequently happened to Lau. The Chinese are at our Government's throats, demanding that the person responsible for the death of a Chinese National be brought to Justice".

Gordon smiled thinly. "The Joker was the one who murdered Lau", he said grimly. "Burned him alive, if I remember it right".

"That's true", Rudra replied. "But the Joker didn't invade their country. He didn't break into one of their most powerful businesses and assault their police force". Rudra held Gordon's gaze for a few moments, and then she put her hands up in front of her. "Look", she continued. "Lau was scum. There's no denying that. Hell, if half the stories I've heard about him are true, then he got what he deserved. But he was a Chinese National, and he was taken from Chinese soil. The diplomatic stink that it's caused won't just… die down, it'll drag on and on until the Batman is caught and punished. And I'm here to make sure that happens".

Another smile spread across Gordon's lips. "I thought you said you weren't here to interfere?" he said.

Rudra's face fell. She was trying to hide it, but Gordon had gotten under her skin. "Look", she growled. "You go after the Batman, I won't have to interfere. Either you cooperate with me, or I'll remove you from this case and you can follow your family to Cleveland. Am in understood?"

Gordon's face flushed red with anger, and his fists clenched tight. Who did this woman think she was? He wanted to scream at her for talking about his family. But… he knew that would only make things worse. Instead, he turned around and, without a word, walked away. He heard Rudra's voice call after him, telling him that they weren't finished, but he didn't stop walking.

Once he had gotten out of that room, and back into the main part of the building, he let out a long sigh and waited for his heard to stop pounding in his chest. While he was waiting he saw Stephens enter through a door on the other side of the office. Their eyes met, and Stephens nodded. Anna Ramirez was here.


"How was she", Gordon asked. "On the way over here I mean. Anything suspicious?"

He and Stephens were stood outside Gordon's makeshift office. Though the window he could see Anna sitting by his desk, sipping a mug of coffee.

"Jim, she was fine", Stephens replied. "A little shaken, I guess, but after what she's been through, who could blame her". He frowned, and after a brief pause he added, "They say she was attacked by the Batman".

Gordon looked at him angrily. Now wasn't the time for that. Without answering, Gordon grabbed the door handle and walked into his office. There was a loud bang as the door slammed into the wall. Gordon hadn't meant to open it so violently, but he found that he was just so… angry. angry and tired.

He paused on the way to his chair and looked Ramirez over briefly. She had a cut on her forehead which had been stitched up, and her eyes were dark. He smiled dryly; she looked as bad as he felt. Then he silently walked to the other side of his desk and sat down in the leather chair. He leant forward and put his elbows on the desk, and rested his face on his hands. For the longest time neither of them spoke.

There was tension in the room. Both of them felt uncomfortable, but Gordon wanted it there. He wanted to put pressure on Ramirez, to see how she would react. She struggled to meet his gaze, instead keeping her eyes lowered to the ground. When Gordon felt that the silence had lasted long enough, he spoke. "How's your face?" he asked, trying to make his voice sound warm.

Ramirez smiled, though it seemed forced. "It's fine, thanks", she answered. "How… how are the family?"

Gordon's moustache bristled, and his eyes lowered. "They're fine", he replied. "Or they were the last time I saw them. Barbara took the kids and left last night. She was horrified by what happened, and I don't blame her in the slightest. I don't think James really understands how much danger he was in, but Barbara… She didn't even hesitate. They've moved to Cleveland – we have relatives up there, and I think they'll be alright. He leaned back and rubbed his face. He didn't like thinking about his family. Each time he did, a horrible pain formed deep in his stomach. "But they're not hurt, which is the main thing".

He shook his head, and when he looked back at Ramirez he was surprised to see that her eyes had filled with tears. "I'm sorry, Jim", she said, her voice quivering. "I'm so –"

"Why did Harvey go after you?" Gordon interrupted. Ramirez didn't answer; she just looked down at her feet. Gordon decided to prompt her. "He needed someone that my family trusted… didn't he?"

Ramirez looked up. Gordon knew that he had given her an out. He had provided her with a way of putting all responsibility onto Dent, and from the way her eyes lit up he knew that she would take it. His heart sank – it looked as though his suspicions of her were right. Ramirez nodded. "That's right", she said quickly. "He had a gun to my head, Jim. I don't… I didn't want to do it…"

"I know, Anna", Gordon said. Gordon had leant forward and had his hands covering his mouth. "It's OK. It's OK".

Ramirez was getting more and more hysterical. Gordon wondered if it was all just an act. Was she just pretending to be guilty, in order to earn his forgiveness? Or was she genuine…He had no way of knowing. "He forced me to Jim!" she cried. "He was crazy! He was saying that he thought it was me who sold him out an-"

"Was it?" Gordon interrupted, calmly. Ramirez only looked at him with a blank expression. Gordon struggled to keep his voice calm, but his heart was pounding. Would she tell more lies, or would she come clean. Gordon already knew the answer. He felt himself getting angrier and angrier.

Ramirez, for a few moments, said nothing. She managed to hold Gordon's gaze for a few seconds, and met his anger with the blankest of expressions. The length of time it took for her to answer made Gordon think that at least she was conflicted about her answer. That was better than nothing, wasn't it? But direct questions are always the hardest to answer.

"No", she replied eventually. "No… it wasn't me. I swear it".

Liar, Gordon thought immediately. He forced his face to remain neutral – he didn't want to reveal anything to this woman. He couldn't trust her any more. He never could. And that realisation broke his heart.

Gordon nodded, to try and reassure her. "OK", he said soothingly, though he couldn't meet her gaze. "If you say it then I believe you".

He looked her in the eyes, met her gaze and forced a smile.

She returned his smile, and appeared to relax a little. "Thank you, Jim", she said, and took a long swig of her coffee before setting her cup down on the table. "Is there anything else? It's just… I'd like to go to my mother, if that's OK".

Gordon nodded in understanding, but he wasn't finished. "There's something important we need to talk about", he told her, his voice suddenly cold and emotionless. "About the Batman".

Ramirez nodded. Good, Gordon thought. At least she knows. That should make this a little easier. Gordon had realised immediately that she must have known the truth. She was attacked by Harvey Dent, in retaliation for what she did to him… and to the woman he loved. He had to contain that knowledge. However much he hated the woman at the moment, he knew that she would have to be kept close, to guard his secret.

And then… realisation dawned on him. He was condemning this woman not only for what she had done, but for the lies that she was telling him. But he was guilty of lying too, wasn't he? Of lying to each and every person that he saw.

Gordon was tired. He still wasn't sure he was doing the right thing; hell, he didn't even know what doing the right thing meant anymore. But he was listening to a friend, and that friend told him that this was the way it had to be.

"Harvey was…" Gordon said after a long pause. "Harvey is a beacon of light for this city. A hero. Whatever happened towards the end was… it wasn't his fault. I truly believe that. The Joker tore him down… and if I'd been through those things then I honestly can't say for sure I'd have acted any differently". That feeling in his stomach had come back again. Every time he heard that man's name, his mind immediately went back to the day before. Dent's scarred and mangled face haunted him. He knew that it always would.

"If the truth came out", he continued, "then… all those convictions, everything we all fought for would be torn down. So the Batman volunteered to take the blame, to keep Harvey's reputation intact, and to keep hope alive that we can bring Gotham back from the brink".

"Jim", Ramirez protested. "That's bullshit, if you don't mind my saying so. It's hope based on a lie… based on a compromise. And the one thing I've always respected you for is the way you don't ever sacrifice people for a so-called greater good – you always try to save everyone".

Gordon knew that she was right. He hated compromise. All his life he had worked within the rules that he had been set. He had found comfort in them. They gave him something to follow, guidelines to stick to. He had always believed that they kept him safe. But the moment he decided to move outside of the rules he had lost all faith in them. Now they felt more like… shackles. He looked down at his feet.

"You're right", Gordon said weakly. "I hate this… I hate the whole idea. But I just… can't bring myself to do anything different. At the same time, I don't know if I've got the will to keep this charade up. I mean, who knows how long we'll need to".

"No…" Ramirez interrupted. "I'm sorry, sir. I shouldn't have said that. This is a difficult situation, and I don't envy you being in the position you're in. Whatever you choose to do I'm sure it's what you think is right. That's just who you are".

The two officers stared at each other, and both of them smiled. It was probably the first time since they had entered that office that a smile had been genuine. Both of them had been through hard times recently, and, even though they might not want to admit it, they found comfort in sharing their troubles. After several seconds, Ramirez rose from her chair and walked around the large, wooden desk that separated them. She stopped close to Gordon, who looked up at her. She leant down to him and planted a soft, comforting kiss on his cheek. Though it was brief, Gordon savoured her sweet smell as she got close to him.

And then, as quickly as she had moved close, Anna moved away toward the door. As she reached it she stopped and turned back towards Gordon, but kept her eyes towards the ground. "I can't get his face out of my mind", she said, her voice shaking. "Every time I close my eyes I see him… half handsome and half hideous, but all terrifying. And his coin… his coin just won't stop spinning".

Gordon looked at her sympathetically. "I see him too", he replied. "There's a lot of false blame being thrown around without us throwing it at ourselves, too. And perhaps his coin won't stop spinning until you decide which side it should land on".

Ramirez looked up at him. "Bye, Jim", she said.

"Bye Anna", Gordon replied softly as she walked out of the door.

Barely a few seconds passed before there was a loud knock on that same door, giving Gordon no chance to reflect on the conversation he'd just had. It was Stephens, who walked in and stood in front of Gordon's desk.

Gordon looked at him for a while, trying to find the words to explain what he was feeling. It was Stephens who broke the silence.

"So…" he said. "Was it her?"

After a brief pause Gordon replied. "Yes", he answered. "I think it was".

Stephens' face contorted in disgust. The news seemed to hit him as hard as it had hit Gordon. Of course he'd be disappointed, Gordon realised. Ramirez had been like a sister to him. "Christ", Stephens said bitterly. "Weurtz I can believe, but Anna? Why?"

Gordon sighed and stood up. "I don't know", he said calmly. "Keep a tail on her. Let's see if we can figure it out". He walked towards the door, passing Stephens. "And… get me some information on this Agent Rudra. I want to know what I'm walking into".

Stephens nodded and left the room quickly. Gordon looked down at his desk. The peice of paper with his list of names was still there, staring up at him. Gordon's heart sank as he realised that there was one more name he had to add to it. Once more person that he would have to deal with. He picked up his pen and scribbled it on the paper. When he put the pen back down, he was overcome with... sickness.

The Joker...